"I've noticed that quite a lot of people who are prominent in the animal liberation movement are Jews. Maybe we are simply not prepared to see the powerful hurting the weak."
--Peter Singer (Author, Animal Liberation)

3.22.2008

heebnvegan Does Miscellaneous Posts Like Nobody Else

Earlier this month, the Australian Jewish News ran an article about a Zionist youth group that went vegetarian. According to the article, "Netzer participants will be strongly encouraged to avoid eating meat and fish at Netzer functions, in line with the movement’s commitment to tikkun olam (repairing the world). "

AgriProcessors has been cited for 39 worker safety violations. Read FailedMessiah's post from Thursday for more information.

The latest news in the shackling and hoisting controversy is that earlier this month, Israeli Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger held a meating with Israeli meat importers to encourage a phase-out of shackling and hoisting in South American kosher slaughterhouses. FailedMessiah's March 4 post includes commentary, a YNet article, and a Jerusalem Post article about the story. (Click here to read my March 2 post, "Potential Victory Against Shackling and Hoisting.")

The current issue of Kosher Todaynotes, "A Health Ministry study done in 2001 found that 8.5% of the Israeli population defines itself as vegetarian or vegan (9.8% women and 7.2% percent men). The largest group is Jewish women between 35 and 54 years of age. The lowest number of vegetarians was found among Arab men between the ages of 35 and 64 years." That's pretty interesting in comparison to U.S. statistics.

Yesterday, FailedMessiah featured a hilarious satire article about ultra-Orthodox rabbis' ban on marriage. The whole article is worth reading, but I especially enjoyed the first paragraph, because of the veal discussion and the rabbi who'd banned even his own book ("better safe than sorry"). Again, this is satire:

A group of 178 of Ultra Orthodox rabbis came together to sign a ban on marriages, Tuesday. Rabbi Avrohom Katz of Brooklyn, noted that he had been invited to sign a ban on a multitude of topics but this was the least contested ban meeting he had ever been to. “When we tried to ban veal, twelve rabbis walked out immediately in opposition to the ban. One even came back in five minutes later so he could walk out twice.” The issue of veal is an issue which most rabbis are opposed to banning; citing the Talmud (Taanit 11a) which claims the Nazir is punished for denying himself wine, which is permissible. The rabbis opposing the veal ban claim the ban was suggested by liberal rabbis and animal rights activists. Rabbi Shaar of Brooklyn, who did not sign to ban veal, claimed that even if the veal was not kosher, he would eat it to make a stance against those who wish to make animal slaughter illegal. Others, like Rabbi Pesach Gardner of Brooklyn, signed the ban, claiming “better safe than sorry.” Rabbi Gardner has signed an estimated 453 bans, including one on a book that he wrote.